


First But Not Last

by Saraste



Series: Femslash February 2018 [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Family Feels, Femslash February 2018, Fluff, Holidays, Winter Solstice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 04:45:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13563108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saraste/pseuds/Saraste
Summary: Regina and Emma spent the holidays together as family for the first time with Henry.





	First But Not Last

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for prompt 2.The Holidays from [this list.](http://lingeringmirth.tumblr.com/post/170220761062/femslash-february-prompts)

It is a first for them both.

Emma, having been in care, has never had a proper Christmas, and all her childhood Solstices have been lost to Regina’s revenge. And, while Regina has celebrated Solstice with Henry, this is her first Holiday season with Emma and Henry both, as a family. That Emma  _ wants to _ , that she has forgiven Regina and accepts her as someone who repents her past actions and who is always striving to do better, that is the biggest gift Regina receives during that Holiday season.

They get a tree and decorate it together and Regina feels uplifted by the warmth in her heart, is touched by the smiles on both Emma and Henry’s faces, she feels the empty place that has remained in her heart through all the years of the course, the one even Henry couldn’t entirely fill, begin to heal.

This is family, this is what Regina has been missing, what she has always wanted to have. 

After the tree and other decorations, fairy-lights and ribbon bows and flowers, are in place, it’s time for food.

And that, too, is different with three.

They bake and frost a mountain of cookies, enough to pack into cookie tins to give away to family and friends, Regina finds herself enjoying that, as well. Emma gets frosting on her cheek while they bake and Regina doesn’t fight the urge to lean in and kiss it away. Emma looks at her and folds her into a loose embrace and they stand there beside the kitchen island filled with cookies as Henry continues to press cutters into the sheet of gingerbread dough until the oven beeps and they need to disentangle or let the cookies burn.

Storybrooke is wrapped in snow and looks picture perfect just in time for Solstice.

The Holidays, in their house, end up being a week of celebration from Solstice to past Boxing Day and everyone eats themselves to gorging. They even have Snow and Charming over with baby Neil for Solstice dinner and Snow smiles at Regina, one of those big honest happy smiles and, wonder of wonders, Regina smiles back as unguardedly.

Henry smiles too and is so happy it makes Regina ache. She knows that he was happy before and that it isn’t fair on either of them to compare but… this, to her, still feels a better happiness. Maybe it’s because Emma has filled in the last of her emptiness, that she can also feel so happy about everything. But Regina knows that this won’t be their last Holiday season together and all is perfect.


End file.
